Moving On
by Starr77
Summary: My WC Contest entry!! Six months after Krillin's death, 18 finally loves again. But who is it?


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Moving On

18 wiped a pile of dust off an old box. She was cleaning out the attic, going through some old stuff of hers and Krillin's. She smiled as she saw the old box contained wedding photos. A tear sprung to her eye at the sight of Krillin.

He had passed away six months ago, and just now she had become brave enough to look through these old boxes. He was her true love, her first love, her first everything. She wanted to kill herself, too, but when she thought of Marron, she stopped.

Marron had been devastated at the loss of her father. She was married, and had a three year-old little girl. Her father had been there to walk her down the aisle, there at the birth of her daughter. She wondered how she would survive without him.

18's eyes fell on a picture of Goku. He was Krillin's best friend, and like many others, felt much sorrow for his old buddy. 18 felt they were in the same boat now; Chi-Chi died last year. So there they were, two mutual-befriended widows. He really was a great friend to Krillin all those years, and 18 was glad she hadn't killed him long ago.

The phone rang downstairs, and 18 jumped down the vertical staircase to the hallway phone. "Kame House," she answered.

"Hi Mom," Marron's voice came over the line. "How're you doing?" Marron seemed to ask that question a lot lately, and was asked it a lot in return. 

18 glanced around the house; an old habit she picked up looking out for Master Roshi. He was gone now, but old habits are hard to break. "I'm doing fine, Mar. How about you? Are you holding up okay?"

A voice was heard in the background. "Trunks says hi," Marron reported. She had married Trunks five years ago. "I guess I'm doing the same as I was yesterday. Are you eating alone tonight? Why don't you come over for dinner? Trunks has the day off, and Ami will be home from Bulma's in about half an hour. Please Mom?" 

"Okay. When should I come over?" 18's only weakness was for her daughter. Her husband, too, of course, but now her only _living_ weakness was for her daughter.

"Come over now!" Marron exclaimed. 

"Alright, I'll be right there."

18 landed in front of Trunks and Marron's big ranch five minutes later. Capsule Corp. paid for it, so their choices for living space were endless. She opened the black double doors and let herself in. "Marron!" she called.

"In the kitchen, Mom!" came the reply.

She made her way through the foyer, down a short corridor, and into the spacious kitchen. The room was bright; filled with windows and skylights, and was equipped with all the latest appliances.

Marron hopped off the stool she was sitting at at the center island and gave her mother a hug. "Hi Mom."

"Hi Marron. Hi Trunks." 

Trunks nodded a hello in return. "My mom should be here in twenty minutes with Ami. She went over there this morning."

18 nodded and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. She and Marron had become identical to each other, and the only way to tell them apart would be their hair. Marron's was longer then 18's, reaching down to her middle back.

"Mom, could you help me start dinner?" Marron asked. "I was going to make some chicken." She opened the fridge and took out three jumbo-sized chickens. 

The two 'twins' bustled around in the kitchen for a while; little conversation flying back and forth between the three. The front door opened again, and Bulma made her way into the kitchen, carrying the triplet to the two women in the kitchen.

"Hi 18. How're things going?" Bulma greeted her in-law. She let Ami down, and the toddler ran into her maternal grandmother's arms.

18 planted a kiss on her granddaughter's head. "They're better. It's getting easier with each day. Today I got some of the attic cleaned out, and it wasn't as hard as it's been."

"That's good. Well I better get going. Bye Ami. Bye kids," the blue-haired genius waved to her granddaughter and tousled her son's hair as she left the kitchen. "Talk to you soon 18," she called over her shoulder.

"Bye Bulma," 18 called back. "So Ami, how were things at Grandma Bulma's house?"

The three year-old smiled, her blue eyes wide. "Me an' Papa played tea party an' Aunt Bra read me a story an' Grandma made lunch an' I ate with all three of them!" 

18 laughed. "Sounds like you had a fun day. Why don't you sit with your daddy while I help your mommy cook dinner." She placed the bouncing girl in her father's lap.

"Hey Princess," Trunks greeted her, giving her a kiss. "How was your grandma's house?" The toddler went on about her day happily.

Marron laughed. "I don't know where she gets that energy from," she said. "It must be that Sayian blood."

"Or it could be from you. When you were that age, you were just as energetic as that," 18 commented.

The younger woman laughed again as she worked on the dinner. They worked on dinner for twenty more minutes before the doorbell rang. 

Ami jumped out of her father's lap and started running to see who was at the door. "Wait a second, Ami," 18 said. "Let me come with you." She took Ami by the hand and led her to the front door. She lifted her granddaughter up so she could open the door. There stood Goku.

"Hi 18!" he smiled and waved warmly. "Hi there Ami!" Goku lifted her up on his shoulders.

"Uncle Goku!" She squealed with delight.

Goku smiled at 18. "How're you doing 18?" he asked.

"Things are getting easier, Goku. How about you?" she replied.

But his answer was cut off by a question of Ami's. "Uncle Goku, will you tell me a story about Papa Krillin?" She had been told many stories before, most of them by Goku.

He looked at 18 with a sheepish look on his face. "I will Ami, but first, I have to talk with your parents and your grandma for a few minutes. Then I promise I will tell you a story." He set the little girl down and she toddled down the hall.

"She's something else, that girl," 18 commented.

Goku laughed. "Let's just be lucky she didn't turn out to be like Vegeta!" 

18 smiled. "She has a lot of Krillin in her , that girl. He loved her." She looked down at her feet. "Well, Trunks and Marron are in the kitchen."

"Thanks 18." He made his way down the hall and into the kitchen, 18 behind him. "Hi guys!"

"Hey Goku." Trunks and Marron said. 

"Do you think you guys can help me with something? Goten and Pareseu are on the rocks again, and he's afraid this time it's gone to far. Anyway, he's really upset and I was wondering if you guys could help me cheer him up." Since Chi-Chi's death, Goku had become closer with both of his sons, and Goten had started dating Pareseu again. They kept breaking up and getting back together again.

"Of course," Marron said. "Pareseu's nice and all, but I think Goten's too good for her. One of these days he's going to regret ever dating her."

"Yeah. How about we invite him over? You don't mind, do you Mar?" Trunks asked. "You're welcome to stay, too, Goku."

Marron nodded, and took out two more chickens.

"Thanks, guys. Trunks, I think Goten would appreciate it if you called him instead of me," Goku suggested.

Ami jumped up and down. "Goten's coming! Goten's coming! Do you think he'll tell me a story about Papa, too, Uncle Goku?"

Goku smiled. "I'm sure he will Ami."

"...And then Krillin carried 18 to safety, and she was his forever," Goku finished. He had been telling the story of the Cell Games.

18 snorted. "That's not exactly how it happened, but close enough, I guess."

"I like that story. Was Papa always like that Uncle Goku?" Ami asked.

Marron nodded. "He was. But no more stories for you. It's time for bed." 

Ami went around and said goodnight to everyone before her parents led her to her bedroom. 

"I'm going home, Dad. I'll see you there," Goten said as he stood up. "Tell Trunks and Marron I'll call them tomorrow."

"Take care Goten," 18 said. He left the room, and she turned to Goku. "He's so much like you."

Goku put his hand behind his head and grinned; the infamous Son grin. "Ya think? Based on how good he turned out, I'll take that as a compliment. I should really get going. If I know Pareseu, she'll be calling Goten tonight, and if I know Goten, they'll be back together by ten."

18 laughed. "Take care of yourself, Goku. Hey, do you want to come over and help me go through some of Krillin's things? I'm not going to throw it away, just store it for now."

"I'd love to. Is noon tomorrow good for you?" he asked.

"Sure. It's not like I have anything better to do. I'll see you then Goku." She smiled at his small wave as he left the room.

Bulma's phone rang the next morning. "Bulma," she answered. She had a unique way of answering the phone; one she had picked up from her future self.

"Hi Bulma. Can I ask you something?" 18's voice came from the other line, with a worried tone in it.

"Sure. What's the matter, 18?"

18 paused. "How long do you think it takes to fully... recover from a spouses death and..." her voice trailed off.

Bulma smiled knowingly. "Fall in love again? I think it depends on the person. Some people will never recover. Some people take a long time, and for some people it takes, oh, say six months. So who's the lucky guy?"

"It's too early, though. I can't be falling in love again. When Krillin and I got married, we promised we'd never fall in love with anyone again. I've kept every promise I ever made to him, Bulma. And this is the most important one. Just because he's-- gone doesn't mean I can break it," she sighed. 

"But would Krillin want you to be unhappy? He would want you to get over him, not sit around like you've been doing. Who's the guy?" Curiosity was getting the better of Bulma.

"It's the last possible person you'd ever see me with. And if Krillin were here, he wouldn't be able to even look at me," 18 said sourly.

Bulma froze. "18 you didn't fall for-- _Vegeta_, did you?"

18 laughed. "Okay, the second-to-last person you'd ever see me with. Let's say he's my total opposite."

"Did you fall for a Z-warrior?"

"No," 18 whispered, "I fell for _the_ Z-warrior."

There was a pause because Bulma dropped the phone. "18. Are you telling me you're in love with Goku? As in Son Goku, the tall, lovable guy who saves the world for a living? Who was widowed by Chi-Chi and fathers Gohan and Goten? That Goku?"

"What is this? 20 Questions?" 18 snorted. For a second, she sounded like her old-self. And that scared her. "Yes Bulma. You're right."

"Goku? You're in love with Goku?" No matter how many times 18 said it, Bulma still couldn't believe it.

18 bit her lip to keep the sobs out of her voice. "I'm not in love with him yet, but it's the way I felt around Krillin in the beginning, you know? The 'I-can't-wait-to-see-you-I-love-it-when-you-smile-like-that' feeling."

"I know exactly what you're talking about. And I think it's perfectly fine you're feeling that way about someone again. Hey, I'm happy for you. And I hope that Goku feels the same way. You both deserve a little bit of happiness in your lives. Krillin would want it like this. Trust me," Bulma assured.

"But what if Goku doesn't feel the same way? You know what? Just forget I ever called you. Forget about this whole thing. Thanks, but no thanks. Now I have to go. Goku's going to help me go through some of Krillin's old stuff. Is Ami going to be at your house today?"

Bulma sighed. "Later today, for about a couple of hours. You can swing by if you want."

"Thanks Bulma. I'll talk to you later. Bye."

"Bye 18."

Goku opened the old red door to the Kame House. No one ever knocked on that door, and Krillin, 18, and Marron never seemed to mind. "18!" he called. He heard some bustling in the kitchen, so he followed the sound. When he found 18, she was going through a stack of magazines.

"Master Roshi's porn," she explained without looking up. "I found some stashed in the back of the cereal cupboard." She dumped the stack into a nearby garbage can. "Hi Goku." She smiled. "Thanks again."

"No problem. I finally put all of Chi-Chi's things away, like her clothes and stuff. Where do you want to start?"

18 pointed to the staircase. "The bedroom. I want to put his clothes in storage. I don't have the heart to throw them away."

Goku smiled sheepishly. "Chi-Chi's are in the attic. Okay, let's go."

She stood up and headed for the stairs. Goku followed her into the white bedroom. It was bright; the sun was shining right through the window. The headboard of the bed was against the back wall, and a night table was on each side. A cherry oak dresser was next to the door, and a matching desk was on another wall. The room was impeccably clean, probably since 18 had nothing else to do when she wasn't watching Ami.

"Most of his clothes are in here," she said, closing the door to reveal a closet door. She opened it and started taking out orange training gis, various T-shirts, and sweaters. She laid them carefully on the bed before moving over to the dresser and removing pants and more gis.

Goku looked at the clothes sadly before placing them in several boxes that lay next to the bed. He knew how hard this was for her, so he didn't say anything. 

When all the clothes were in boxes, 18 stood up and turned around at the exact time Goku stood up. They were face to face; just centimeters apart. 18 went to turn around, but Goku grabbed her wrist and stopped her. She jumped slightly, then slowly turned around. So badly, she wanted to say something, to tell him how she felt. Normally, she would never have thought to do something like that. _Damn that Krillin. He's made me soft._

Goku spun her completely around, until she was positioned as she was just seconds earlier. He quickly thought about what he was doing before he did it. _This is the woman who tried to kill you almost forty years ago. This is your best friend's widow. This is the woman you love._ He cupped her face with his hand and leaned forward, letting both of them get lost in the searing kiss.

Marron opened the familiar red door of the house she grew up in. On her way in, she bumped in to a whistling Goku. "Oh hi Goku. Is my mother inside?"

Goku went red. "She's um, upstairs in the bedroom. Well, I better get going. I'll talk to you soon Marron." He quickly left.

He left her confused for a minute, but she shook it off and proceeded into the house. _Goku sure is acting strange,_ she thought. _I wonder if... no way. It couldn't be. Could it?_ She picked up pace and practically ran up the stairs. She slowed down a little as she rounded the corner to her parents' bedroom. Bursting into the room, Marron let out a deep breath. 

18 looked at her daughter. "Are you okay Mar?" she asked.

Marron laughed. "I ran into Goku downstairs, and the way he ran off, I thought you--" her hysterical laughter cut her off. "I thought you and Goku--"

18 bit her lip as she watched her daughter double over in a bought of laughter. "Marron, what do you think of Goku?"

Marron wiped a tear from her eye. "As what? He's an amazing father to Gohan and Goten, and a great grandpa to Pan. And he was always a great friend to Daddy, but I don't know what I'm looking at him as."

"A person was what I was looking for, but I think you've covered that. So you like Goku?" 18 asked.

The younger woman stared at her mother for a minute before answering. "Yeah, I like Goku. Why are we talking about Goku? You and him aren't-- you know?"

"No, I don't know. But Marron, this is going to be hard to tell you, so I'm just going to tell you straight forward. I'm in love with Goku. He's in love with me. I love your father Marron, and I always will. But it's been six months. And this is just as hard on me as it is you. I don't want you to be mad at me, and I don't want you to be mad at Goku. I want you to accept this." 18 wiped a tear from her eye, cursing under her breath.

Marron saw her mother cry, and soon she was crying, too. "Mom, I'm not mad at you. I know this isn't your fault, nor is it Goku's. And I'm going to accept it. I love Goku, and I'm glad your happy."

"I'm glad your glad," 18 smiled.

Bulma smiled as Goku strode through her house to the gravity room. He looked as if he were floating, and she knew why. And it made her happy. They both needed a little happiness in their lives and she was glad they found each other.


End file.
